


Meeting the Family

by Pleasebrushyourteeth



Category: Ratchet & Clank
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-05-19
Updated: 2016-05-19
Packaged: 2018-06-09 09:38:52
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 4,092
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6900700
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Pleasebrushyourteeth/pseuds/Pleasebrushyourteeth
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Elaris wants to know more about the Nefarious pictured on her cork board. Her search for answers leads her to his family, with mixed results. Reboot-verse.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

It had been a slow day on Kerwan. Dallas and Juanita wasted the day discussing the latest celebrity gossip, the children played with their Ratchet and Clank action figures, and Galactic Rangers HQ was strangely quiet. Deciding to make use of an otherwise boring evening, Elaris was in the process of cleaning her ~~broomcloset~~ office when her attention turned to the cluttered corkboard in the far left of the room. As always, the first thing her eyes focused on was the picture of the man she had been hired to replace – Dr. Nefarious. She always meant to take that picture down, as she knew it was weird to have a photo of a would-be mass murderer hanging up. But every time, for some reason or another, it stayed up, like a bad rash. Perhaps it was the big smile plastered on his face that made her keep it up. There was something about having such a happy picture of such a miserable person that was… endearing? That wasn’t the right word, but it was all Elaris could think of.

Elaris sighed. Once again, she had to stop herself from thinking about him. She should be sending a check-up message to Ratchet and Clank, or appreciating the fact that the Rangers had collectively agreed that she wasn’t a “total nerd.” But, no, here she was pondering the picture of the wannabe destroyer of everything she held dear like some crazed school girl. She closed her eyes and smiled. Maybe I am a total nerd after all, she thought.

But when she opened her eyes and looked at the photo again, the small smile on her face slowly faded, and the more she started thinking, the more she realized she didn’t know anything about the happy figure staring back at her. She knew about Dr. Nefarious, the mad scientist who tried to destroy the entire Solana Galaxy. That she had learned last month during the whole Deplanetizer business. But what about the Dr. Nefarious in the picture, the smiling, eager tactician and weapons designer of President Phyronix’s Galactic Rangers? What was there to know behind that cheerful expression? What had caused such a drastic change in personality in its owner?

Maybe I am a total nerd, Elaris thought again, because I’ve just got to know.


	2. Chapter 2

“He was just a weirdo, Elaris,” Cora declared. “A weirdo and a creep, plain and simple.”

Elaris knew she shouldn’t have started this conversation. She and Cora never had a very close relationship, much less friendship, and now she was prodding her about the traitor who had helped destroy her home planet. Good going, Elaris, she thought.

“Sorry,” Elaris whispered. “I shouldn’t have brought it up.”

Taking aim, Cora fired at the target on the other side of the shooting range. “No,” she replied, “You really shouldn’t have.”

Elaris turned to leave when a large figure entered the room.

“Hey, guys, what’s up?” Brax asked, brandishing a gun of his own.

“Hey, Brax!” Elaris chirped and waved a nervous hand. “Cora was just practicing, and I was just… uh…”

“Just what?”

“Um… well…”

“Elaris wants to talk about Nefarious,” Cora spat out.

A grimace wrinkled across Brax’s face. Great, Elaris thought, another speech. But instead, Brax sighed and motioned for Elaris to follow him into the hallway. She complied, and once they were in the hallway, Brax closed the door and sat down, a heavy air surrounding him.

“I’m sorry about Cora, but you have to understand. She lost everything to Nefarious, so she’s gonna be a little tense talking about him.”

Looking down, Elaris gulped. “Yeah, I should’ve thought of that…”

“Still,” Brax interjected. “What do you wanna know about him?

“You’re ok talking?” She asked, looking up.

Brax shrugged. “It’s not really a fun topic, but you have the right to know what happened.”

Elaris breathed deeply, then asked, “Well, I guess that’s what I want to know. What happened?”

Brax sighed again. “To be honest, I really don’t know. Nefarious always seemed a little… unhinged, what with the sheep gun and stuff. But he never really seemed malicious, you know? He was always smiles and ‘good mornings!’ on the outside, but I guess inside he was… I don’t know, angry?”

“Angry at what?”

“Angry at the world, I guess. That’s the only reason I can think of as to why he would wanna destroy us all. He must’ve had a lot of pent up aggression towards something, but I can’t think of what.”

Elaris bit her lip. Maybe being called “king of the nerds” everyday had something to with it? Stop it, she thought quickly, don’t defend him.

“I don’t know what he had to be angry about though. I mean, have you seen his fans?”

“Fans?”

“Oh, yeah! Nefarious was never the most popular of the Rangers, but the fans he did have…. they’re pretty fervent, if you know what I mean.”

“Huh… would you happen to know any of them?”

“Yeah, they always cause a big stink at the Qwark Vid-Comic Convention every year. I wouldn’t talk to them, though. They’re pretty stubborn.”

“Oh, ok.” Elaris replied, making a mental note to herself.

-

This was a mistake, Elaris thought. A huge mistake. She should’ve listened to Brax. But nope, she did the exact opposite of a good idea and contacted two of Nefarious’ fans, and now she was stuck in a coffee shop with a purple robot wolf thing and a neon green Markizan talking about a megalomaniacal madman. Perfect.

“So… um… ‘m00n’ and Dani…, have either of you ever met Nefarious?”

“I haven’t, sadly,” Dani replied in a nasally voice, adjusting his big-rimmed glasses. “But m00n has. Right, m00n?

“Hmph,” was m00n’s only response.

“Alright,” Elaris muttered. “Well, what can you tell me about him?”

“Only that he was the most intelligent, generous, most well-dressed man I’ve ever met in my life.”

“I see… well, can you expand upon that?”

m00n sighed, rolling her eyes.

“I mean, it’s pretty obvious that Dr. Nefarious was the greatest person to ever exist. He invented so many life-saving weapons, saved the Galactic Ranger’s butts on countless occasions, and was generally an all-around completely respectable individual. He could’ve tried to atomize Aleero City and I would’ve still loved him.”

“He… did try to atomize Aleero City.”

m00n hissed.                                                                    

“We don’t talk about that,” Dani snapped. “And we don’t want to talk about the stuff that happened last month either!”

“Oh,” Elaris replied. “Ok.”

“It’s so stupid, though!” m00n shrieked. “He wouldn’t have become a villain if it weren’t for those moronic Rangers!”

“I beg your pardon?”

“The Rangers always picked on him, bullying him into a black hole of anguish until he had no choice but to act out! That’s why he did all those bad things! He was trying to tell us that he needed more love and affection, which I would’ve happily given him!”

She wiped a tear from her eye. “But alas, he is dead. Gone forever to the cruelty of an untimely demise. All because of those idiot Rangers and their meddling Lombax…”

“There, there, m00n…” Dani started.

Elaris watched with conflicting emotions as Dani comforted the mourning m00n. On one hand, she was feeling defensive; although the Rangers could certainly be pig-headed and rude, they were certainly not the cause of Nefarious’ plunge into villainy. On the other hand, though… what if there was some truth to the idea that Nefarious had been driven to evil by the Rangers’ ignorance? She herself had experience with her fellow Rangers’ lack of appreciation for the more technical aspects of galaxy protecting, so it wasn’t completely out of question that someone would be driven over the edge by the less than desirable working conditions. Still, she needed more information.

“Honestly,” m00n suddenly exclaimed. “If you wanna know the truth about Nefarious, you gotta talk to his family. They’re second only to him in terms of radness.”

“His family?”

“Yeah, they live here on Kerwan,” Dani replied.

Elaris was silent for a bit.

“Uh,” she finally said. “Do you know their address?”


	3. Chapter 3

The drive to Nefarious’ old home was awkward to say the least. Not just because of the mission at hand, but just the whole experience being out of the city. It took about an hour to get to the large estate, out in ranching country.  Elaris hadn’t been outside of Aleero City since she joined the Rangers, and to be honest it was a little jarring to be away from the hustle and bustle of city life. She kept expecting to hear ships passing by and holo-screens blaring infomercials as she left her vehicle and made her way up the steps of the marble white mansion. If this was where Nefarious had spent his youth, she wondered, what did he have to be so upset about? She supposed she would find out as she rang the doorbell.

Not even a second after she rang the doorbell, a loud shriek of what sounded like “Lawrence! Door!” burst from the house. Elaris jumped back, caught off guard. A few seconds later, a standard issue butler-bot opened the door.

“Yes, ma’am? You rang?” the butler asked.

“Um… hi,” Elaris replied. “I’m… uh, with the Galactic Rangers.”

“If you’re here to speak with the master and missus of the house about important business, dial one. If you’re here to annoy them with questions about their beloved deceased son, dial two. I would highly recommend not dial two, ma’am.”

“Uh…” Elaris scrambled for the right words, slowly getting fed up with this butler. “No, I’m with the Rangers, but I’m not actually a Ranger. You see?”

“Clearly. Now if you have nothing else to say, my brownies are burning.”

A scream pierced the air. “Lawrence, who’s at the door!”

Afterwards, a shadowy, familiar figure appeared at the top of the stairs. Was that… no, it couldn’t be… he’s dead… and the voice isn’t right. The figure ran down the stairs and leaped past Lawrence, grabbing Elaris’ hand and shaking it with great vigor.

“Why, howdy there, stranger! What brings you to my humble abode?”

Now that she was in the light, Elaris could see that the figure wasn’t who she thought it was, but rather his… his…

“You’re…. you’re… uh... Nefarious’ mother?”

The large, terrifying grin on the woman’s face never faltered as she continued speaking.

“Oh, yes! So you know about my brilliant Neffie! Say, you wouldn’t happen to be from the news?”

“No, I’m… I’m Elaris. I’m with the Galactic Rangers.”

“She’s not with them, but she’s with them.” Lawrence quipped.

“Elaris! What a pretty name! Well, come on in! You must be tired from your trip from the city!” And with a wave of her hand, Nefarious’ mother led a bewildered Elaris into the house, Lawrence closing the door behind them.

“Come over here, dear!” Mom motioned Elaris toward an extravagant living room, where another strangely familiar figure sat in a wheelchair.

“Who’s there?” the wizened figure in the black “Bad to the Bone” t-shirt shouted. “I don’t want to buy any cookies!”

“It’s not a Solana Scout, Ma!” Mom replied. “This is Elaris. She’s with the Galactic Rangers!”

The elder woman glared at Elaris with beady eyes behind large rimmed glasses.

“I didn’t steal those fries at Galaxy Burger, officer,” she hissed.

“Uh… no, ma’am, I’m not...”

“Oh, Ma, hush up!” Mom chipped in. “This young lady’s here to talk to me about my darling Neffie!”

“Oh,” replied Grandma. “Well, in that case, count me in, too. I’m always up to talk about my favorite grandchild.”

“Ma, he’s your only grandkid!”

“No thanks to you, ya unfruitful child!” yelled Grandma, swinging her cane at Mom.

Mom motioned for Elaris to sit down on the couch, then sat down herself.

“So, what do you wanna know about my Neffie?” Mom asked, adjusting her outrageously pink glasses.

“Um… well,” Elaris started. “I guess I wanted to know more about his time with the Rangers.”

“Oh.” Mom’s smile gave way to a frown for a nanosecond, before resuming its original shape. “Neffie always talked about his time with the Rangers! How much he hated them with all his heart and soul, how he wanted to use their intestines as jump ropes, how he wanted to juggle their heads while dancing in a kilt to the bagpipes….”

“He had his chance, too! Twice!” Grandma chimed in. “Can’t believe he couldn’t succeed either time. I practically gift wrapped the Aleero City plan for him….”

“You what?” Elaris exclaimed.

“Oh, yes!” Grandma replied. “I taught Nefarious everything he knows! You think he learned how to build that Deplanetizing-thingamajig on his own?”

Elaris stared at the smiling Grandma when suddenly the front door opened.

“Hey, gang!” the man whom Elaris presumed was Nefarious’ father shouted. He looked just like his son but with a large, well-kept mustache and yellow-tinted, square-shaped glasses.

“Hi, honey!” Mom screamed as she jumped off the couch and into her husband’s arms. Watching them kiss was like watching Nefarious make out with a slightly shorter version of himself, and the sight was horribly disturbing for poor Elaris. She turned her attention to the fireplace, which was littered with pictures in frames. Most of them were of Nefarious, at various stages of his life. He was smiling that big goofy smile from her office photo in all of them. She couldn’t help half-smiling back. Several minutes of strange kissing sounds later, Grandma poked Elaris’ knee with her cane, a twisted smile on her face.

“You wanna really get to know Nefarious, hon?”

“Uh…” was Elaris’s response.

“Lawrence!” Grandma screeched. “Get the photo albums!”

Mom turned her head away from Dad and grinned. “What a wonderful idea! Lawrence! Get the video player, too!”

Panic swept over Elaris’ face. Albums? Videos? This isn’t what she wanted to see! All she wanted to know was about Nefarious’ time in the Rangers! What horrors awaited her now?

“Um…” Elaris started. “I don’t think this is really necessary…”

“Don’t be silly!” Dad insisted, a huge smile on his face. “We’re always happy to share the joy that is my favorite son!”

“He’s your only child,” Grandma stated flatly.

“Just means there’s no competition for my love!” Dad replied.

Elaris sighed. She was in for a long night.


	4. Chapter 4

Elaris had seen everything. Literally every embarrassing image of Nefarious one could think of and more had been displayed to her. Baby pictures were shoved in her face left and right, as were holo-films of his numerous firsts. It was… awkward. It was awkward seeing this much personal stuff about someone she should detest just based on principal, much less his connection to the Rangers. Still, there was something about just how thrilled the family was, how eager they were to share their son with a complete stranger, which kept Elaris’ mouth shut. It was as though they had been forced to keep their love bottled up ever since Nefarious turned to villainy (well, except for Grandma; she was rather prideful of her grandson’s misdeeds). Then, out of nowhere, she shows up on their front step, and now they finally had the opportunity to let their love for their fallen son pour out.

Coming from a family where that type of emotional expression didn’t happen, Elaris couldn’t help but allow for Nefarious’ folks to continue on.

Currently they were watching a holo-film of Nefarious’ first date. Nefarious was obviously uncomfortable with being filmed at such an important moment, wiping sweat off his brow and trying his best to keep the camera out of his and his date’s face. Before the two of them could walk out the front door into freedom, Dad suddenly grabbed Nefarious’ sleeve.

“Wait a minute, son!” Dad exclaimed. “Your mom wants pictures with the rest of us!”

“Dude, just let em go,” Grandma remarked.

“Wait, Ma!” Mom suddenly insisted. “I need pictures for SpaceBook!”

Mom pinched Nefarious’ cheek, and dragged him and his date back into the house.

“Lawrence!” she screamed. “Take the pictures!”

“Yes, ma’am,” was Lawrence’s only response.

She handed her phone to the butler, and the holo-film ended.

Elaris couldn’t decide which was worse: the holo-film itself, or the hideous snorts of laughter that they elicited from Nefarious’ mother and father. Grandma had long since fallen asleep, occasionally muttering things like, “I swear I didn’t kill him, officer…” Mom and Dad, however, had been up all night with Elaris, demonstrating an incredible commitment to both embarrassing their only son and entertaining their guest. Elaris had been fed the most scrumptious brownies, been given a foot massage via an unenthusiastic Lawrence, and was currently drinking tea on probably the plushiest comforter in the galaxy.

In all honesty, she could get used to this.

As the holo-film ended, the laughter that had previously filled the room slowly faded.

“Ah, that’s my beautiful boy!” Mom remarked.

“Isn’t he quite something, Elaris?” Dad asked.

“Was that his original name? Dr. ‘Edgez’?”

“Oh, no, he made that up himself. Used to make up a new name every week when he was a kid!”

“I see,” Elaris took a sip from her tea.

“Well, gang,” Dad continued, getting off the couch and rooting through the large collection of scrapbooks and holo-films on the coffee table. “I think that’s about it.”

Praise the Zoni, Elaris thought. It was getting late, and she really should be heading home.

“Well, this was all… very enlightening,” Elaris stated, trying to hold back her smile. “But I really must be getting home.”

“Wait!” Grandma suddenly came to life. “There’s one thing I need you to take for me!”

“…What is it?”

“Lawrence!” Grandma screamed at the butler sitting two feet away from her. “Bring me the present from under my bed!”

“Of course, madam.” And with that, Lawrence left the room.

“You aren’t leaving so soon, are you?” Dad asked sadly.

“Yes, we haven’t even gotten to show you Neffie’s room yet!” Mom chimed in.

“Ma’am, that’s perfectly fine,” Elaris quickly replied. “I think I’ve seen enough, and it really is getting late.”

“Alright,” Mom and Dad said in unison, looking down at the floor.

“Now, hold on just a minute, hon,” Grandma interjected. “After all this, there’s one thing you need to understand.”

“What’s that?” Elaris questioned.

“Our Nefarious may have been a bad egg,” Grandma replied. “But he wasn’t a complete monster.”

“Yes, that’s absolutely correct!” Dad exclaimed, pointing to himself. “When he tried to atomize Aleero City, he specifically told me to not go to work that day! He almost saved my life!”

“And when he first joined up with Drek, he made sure to send us all on a trip to the Polaris Galaxy so we wouldn’t be killed by his Deplanetizer plan!”

Elaris was puzzled. Clearly the family was trying to excuse Nefarious’ actions in order to cover up for their own failings as guardians, right? That must be the reason. But at the same time… she believed them. The Nefarious she saw in the pictures and holo-films definitely evacuated his family from the site of his crimes before committing them. There was no doubt in her mind. Still, what did it mean? Was the Nefarious photographed in her office still alive when he was planning atrocities, deep down inside a twisted shell? Could there still have been some good in the man everyone called the “Mad Scientist of Solana?”

She supposed she would never know. He was dead, after all.

“I… understand,” Elaris finally responded. “I will keep that in mind.”

“Oh, thank you, dear!” Mom got up from her seat and gave Elaris a big hug. Before Elaris could wriggle free, Dad had joined in, effectively trapping her in a loving embrace. After what seemed like an eternity, they let her go.

“Don’t be a stranger, Elaris!” Dad remarked. “We love having your company around!”

“Of course, sir.” Elaris replied.

“And do bring Clank!” Mom added.

“Uh, what?”

At that moment, Lawrence walked into the room holding a small pink box.

“Here you are, Miss Elaris. I do hope you will have no trouble opening it.”

Brushing off the butler’s insult, Elaris opened the box. Inside it was a tiny black sweater with a skull on the front.

“Um, what is this?”

“I made it for Clank!” Grandma stated eagerly. “After all, he was made by Nefarious, and that technically makes him my great-grandson! Do give it to him, hon. He must be so cold without it!”

Elaris regarded the toaster-size sweater again, a small smile creeping over her face.


	5. Chapter 5

The drive back home was lonely. Sure, the radio was on, but it didn’t replace the warmth that could only come from interaction with others, especially with individuals as lively as Nefarious’ family. Elaris smiled to herself as she regarded the curious collection of people that called themselves family of the most hated man in all of Solana. Soon enough, she was back in her office at Galactic Ranger HQ, where some familiar faces were waiting for her.

“Ratchet! Clank!” Elaris called out, raising a hand to fist-bump Ratchet. “What are you guys doing here?”

“Hey, Elaris! We were in the city for a television promotion thing and decided to drop by,” Ratchet asked.

“How are you doing, Elaris?” Clank asked.

“Oh, I’m ok. Just got back from… a meeting… with friends.”

“I see. What is that in your hands?”

Elaris looked down at the present.

“Oh, this? It’s, uh…” Elaris stammered. “Well, it’s for you, actually.”

“Really?” Clank questioned.

“Yeah! Here.” She handed Clank the package. As he gingerly opened it, Ratchet turned his attention back to Elaris.

“So meeting with friends, huh? How’d that go?”

“Good!” Elaris replied. “Um, learned a lot today.”

“Learned?”

“Um, Elaris?” Clank suddenly interjected, holding up the sweater from Grandma. “What is this?”

“It’s for you!” Elaris grinned as hard as she could, holding her hands behind her back.

“…. I see. Who is this from?”

“Um…” Elaris struggled for the right words. “... Let’s just say it’s from someone who cares about you very much.”

“Ah, a fan!” Ratchet exclaimed. “Nice, Clank! You really are the popular one between the two of us, huh?”

“I suppose I am,” Clank replied, slipping the sweater over his body. “How do I look, Ratchet?”

“Real cool, Clank. You the man.”

“Yes, indeed,” Clank giggled softly.

A big smile came over Elaris’ face as she regarded her two friends. She truly was lucky to have friends like them. Clank then turned to her, an equally large grin on his face.

“Well,” he began. “Tell the creator of this gift that I am very fortunate to have received it.”

“Of course, Clank,” Elaris replied. “I’ll let them know.”

“Oh, shoot!” Ratchet suddenly exclaimed, looking down at his wristwatch. “It’s later than I thought. Come on, Clank! Grim’s gonna kill me if I’m not back home before tomorrow morning!”

“That would not be pleasant at all,” Clank stated nonchalantly.

“Well, Elaris,” Ratchet said as he extended a hand towards her. “It was good to see ya!”

“Yeah, definitely!” Elaris replied. “Come back anytime!”

She and Ratchet shook hands, then he and Clank started walking out of the room. Suddenly, however, Ratchet stopped to look at the picture of Nefarious on the corkboard. Oops, Elaris thought. She knew she should’ve taken that stupid thing down when she had the chance. Now Ratchet would get mad and she would get yelled at…

“You know,” Ratchet suddenly interrupted. “Sometimes I think about how he died.”

“Ratchet…” Clank began.

“No, Clank, it’s ok. It’s just…” Ratchet sighed, looking down. “Wish I could’ve saved everyone.”

“Yeah, I understand that,” Elaris stated quietly.

“Yeah. Oh, well though,” Ratchet turned back towards the hallway. “No use dwelling in the past. Come on, Clank.”

And with that, Ratchet and Clank left Elaris alone with the poster and her thoughts. She too turned her attention to the picture, the happy Nefarious eagerly staring back at her. She reached to remove it from the corkboard, but… something unknown stopped her.

Actually, no. She knew exactly what was stopping her. In fact, she could think of three reasons why she wasn’t going to take the picture down. Three very loud, but good reasons were why the picture was staying up. Because at the end of the day, this picture was all any of them had left of him.

As Elaris gathered her files and opened the door to leave, she looked back at the smiling Nefarious.

And this time, she allowed herself to smile back.


End file.
